Claimed by the Secret Agent (14 page)

Marie scoffed right back. “Like I care? Let me go, I’ll give you the number and you tell me where that last girl’s being kept, the one from Amsterdam that Shapur’s other man took. I’ll do the deal and we’ll split the ransom. Better deal quickly before some yahoo calls the gendarmes!”

“First the number,” he insisted.

Grant still stood about twenty feet away, his weapon out of reach. He looked ready to pounce. She knew he had a backup under his jacket and dearly hoped he was ready to use it. She made the sign of a pistol with her hand.

“It’s on the paper in my left pocket,” she replied easily. “Get it yourself.”

He let go of her waist with his left arm and slid his fingers into the tight flat pocket. As she’d hoped, his right arm shifted, creating a wider gap between her neck and the knife.

Marie grasped his right wrist, kicked backward to his knee and quickly threw him to the ground. He slashed out wildly as he fell, slicing her leg with a vicious swipe of the blade.

A shot rang out and Bahktar lay still. She ripped the gun off her leg and released the safety. The wound near where she’d had it taped began to throb and she felt faint. She sat down on the pavers to check the damage.

“Lie back,” Grant ordered as he ran to her. He knelt and pushed on her shoulder. “Dammit, Marie!” He had his belt off and was wrapping it around her thigh as a tourniquet.

She groaned and blinked to clear the rainwater from her eyes. And saw Bahktar sit up, knife in hand and start to lunge.

Grant!
Without thinking, she put a bullet right in the middle of Bahktar’s forehead. He dropped like a rock.

“Oh, God, I…killed him!”

Now they would never find Cynthia Rivers. She had failed her mission.

That was her last thought before she fainted.

“T
he next plane, Tyndal,” Mercier ordered. “Be on it.”

“I’m not leaving her. Fire me if you have to, but I’m here until she’s on her feet and I know she’s okay.”

A moment’s silence ensued. Grant tried to steady his breathing and sound reasonable, not the basket case he had been in the hours since Marie had been admitted to the hospital.

“Look, sir, I just need another day or so before I report. I’ve given you all the details, and everything’s square with the local authorities. I can’t just abandon Marie here in Paris. Let me wait until she’s released from the hospital and I’ll bring her with me when I come back.”

“She’s not coming,” Mercier informed him. “I just spoke with her. Grant, don’t make this harder for her, okay?”

“What do you mean?” Grant asked, a chill suffusing his body.

“Give her some space,” Mercier suggested. “If you don’t, we’ll lose her.”

And if he did,
he
might lose her, Grant thought.

“The decision must be
hers.
Trust me on this.”

“What did she say?” Grant asked without much hope Mercier would tell him.

“She’s been through a lot in a very short length of time. You can’t expect her to make any life-altering decisions at this juncture. Surely you can see that. So, go tell her about Rivers, say a quick goodbye, wish her luck and get your ass back here before I send someone to get you.”

Well, that was not much in the way of minced words. Grant had to admit it made sense to do as ordered, especially after Marie had accused him of hovering.

He’d done his utmost to stop doing that. Hadn’t he let her walk right into that meeting with Bahktar with nothing but a peashooter and a smile to defend herself? Look how that had turned out.

What the hell did she expect now? That he’d just walk away and hope she came to her senses and saw that no man could ever love her like he did? He had already told her, shown her and done all he could to convince her.

Mercier had already hung up, assuming he’d get what he wanted with that threat. Well, maybe he would. The man had a point, even if Grant didn’t like what he heard.

Okay, then. If breathing room was what Marie needed, that’s what he’d give her. Up to a point, of course. If he hadn’t heard from her in a week, he was
coming back after her. Maybe two weeks would be better if he could stand being without her that long.

He drew in and released a fortifying breath, stuck his phone in his pocket and marched back to the elevator. She had passed out from losing so much blood and he had talked with her only once since she woke up in the hospital. All of that conversation had been about her wound before the nurse made him leave the room.

Marie would have a scar about four inches long, but she hadn’t seemed the least bit upset by it. “My first badge of battle,” she had said, sounding a little too proud of herself. Grant had wanted to cry, imagining that beautiful, perfect leg marred in that way.

He entered her room with a smile pasted on that didn’t even reach his teeth. “How’re you doing now that the goof shot’s wearing off?”

“Fine! Hardly hurts at all,” she replied. The perky little cheerleader ruled and Grant couldn’t stand it. He knew she must feel like hell.

“They found Rivers,” he told her, wanting to make her cheer for real.

“Seriously? Great! Where was she all that time?”

“Root cellar not far from the clinic’s kitchen. Eric Vinland, one of our agents, managed to mind link with her and found out she was in an underground structure. The entrance was concealed by debris, so they hadn’t found her until he did that.”

“So, she’s alive?” Marie asked, her eyes wide with hope.

“And mad as hell, they say. Dehydrated and dirty, but alive and kicking.”

“Thank God. I’ve been so afraid I’d sealed her doom by shooting Bahktar. He is dead, right?”

“As the proverbial doorknob. You’ll have to get some counseling on that, I expect.”

“I know. Right now I don’t feel a bit of guilt. It was him or you.”

“You saved my life. Did I say thanks?”

“Not necessary. You saved me from that explosion. We’re even, I guess.”

Grant watched her toy with the edge of the sheet as she spoke. Was she uncomfortable with his being here? Did she think he would demand more of her than she was ready to give? Yeah, there was that little hesitant quiver of her lips. She probably wanted to say something but didn’t know how without hurting his feelings.

He bit the bullet. “Mercier’s ordered me home to make paperwork and get grilled. When are you being released?”
Please, please say you’ll come with me,
he chanted in his mind.

“Tomorrow. They’re sending someone from the embassy to escort me back to Germany. Lots to do there, clearing things up.”

Grant held back the questions. Would she go back to her job there? Would she be satisfied with minor snooping after she’d tasted real action? Would she forget him the minute he was gone?

Instead of all the questions, he walked over to her bedside, took her hand, kissed her on the forehead and faked a grin. “If you get bored, come to McLean. I’ll marry you and give you pretty babies to keep you busy.”

She laughed and squeezed his hand. “That sounds…really interesting, Tyndal, but I’m not quite ready for that much excitement.” Her gaze dropped
away. “There are things I need to do before I settle anywhere. I hope you understand?”

He released her before he broke down, begged and vowed he was serious about the offer he’d made. “All right, then, but just so you know, the invitation’s open-ended.”

“You’re leaving now?” she asked, sounding a little breathless, something, he had learned, she did when she was feeling nervous or apprehensive.

“Next plane out.” He looked pointedly at his watch. “Goodbye kiss okay?”

“Goodbye kiss mandatory,” she replied, and raised her face as he lowered his.

He made it a sweet one, devoid of the passion he wanted to show. Marie was a miracle that had happened to him when he had given up on miracles. Magic all over. Her lips were so soft and giving, trembling a little under his. She was the one who drew away.

How could she let it go so easily, all that they could be together?
Know that I love you with everything I am,
he thought, wishing to God he had Vinland’s telepathy as a gift, that the thought would transfer.

Without another word, he gave her a last, longing look. Then he turned and left her lying there. It was the hardest goodbye ever.

The worst part was that he knew now he couldn’t come back for her. The next move, if there ever was one, would have to be hers.

Grant’s flight home proved uneventful, but when he deplaned and retrieved his bag, there was a surprise in the baggage area. Mercier stood there, waiting for him.

“Welcome back.”

“What’s up?” Grant knew it must be something big. The boss wouldn’t have driven all the way out to Dulles to meet one of his agents otherwise.

Mercier shrugged. “Not much at the moment. Pretty quiet, just the way we like it. I probably jinxed us by saying that.” He headed for the exit. “When we get to the office, I’ll be debriefing you about the op, but on the drive back I thought we might dispense with the personal problem and get that out of the way.”

“You mean Agent Beauclair.” It wasn’t a question. “Not a problem. I did as you suggested.” Ordered, really.

Mercier shot him a thoughtful glance and continued walking. By the time they reached the parking lot and got into the car, Grant had tamped down his resentment to a manageable level. No use holding Mercier responsible for the loss of Marie.

“Good job, by the way,” Mercier said as he backed out of the parking spot and began the trip back to McLean.

“That’s a laugh. Marie rescued herself, basically. And I wasn’t able to do a thing to save Cynthia Rivers. Thank God Vinland was able to.”

Grant flashed back to the confrontation at the obelisk in Place de la Concorde. “Marie was severely injured because of me. She might have been killed.”

“She told me you played it exactly right, followed her signs to the letter. You both took Bahktar out. That’s what is important, Grant. The kidnapping spree is over and it wouldn’t be if you hadn’t been there.”

“Is this the debriefing already?”

Mercier smiled. “No. This is the little talk where I commend you for teamwork, reluctant as you were. You’ve been a loner in the past, but you aren’t one by nature, I think.”

“I work better by myself.”

“Sometimes that’s true but sometimes not. Delegation and trust are the main things you need to work on. You led the investigation to Holland, then on to Paris with your expertise. Otherwise it would have been a dead end in Germany. Eric Vinland used an ability you don’t have to locate Rivers. That was his part of the job, and he did it well. Marie employed her CIA training to the max, both in her escape and in every other instance. Give her that credit, Grant. You don’t have to do everything all by yourself. It’s a lesson it took me a while to learn, too.”

“I lost objectivity.”

Mercier nodded. “It happens when you’re personally involved with a partner. I know from experience. That’s why I discourage it whenever I can.”

Grant said nothing. He couldn’t pry into the boss’s life, but he did wonder.

“I met Solange on an op a few years ago, shortly after we organized SEXTANT. Fell like a damn bungee jumper. Nearly cost both her life and mine.”

“That’s why you ordered me to cut Marie loose.”

“No, I didn’t order that. I said to give her some space to make up her own mind.”

Grant’s resentment returned with the force of a blow to the head. “I’ve lost her because I followed orders.”

Mercier shook his head. “No. If you lost her, it’s because you held on too tight, rushed her, tried to think for her and do for her. She probably resented that. Wouldn’t you? Anyway, you don’t want a woman who doesn’t want you back, do you?”

Yes, by God, he did. He wanted her any way he could have her, but it was too late now. “Look, I already have a mother, okay? Could we drop this before I say more than I ought to?”

“All right. But if you need to talk about it later, we can. We’re a team, Grant, and all of us in SEXTANT and COMPASS are here for you, whether the issue is personal or professional. Ours is a tight group. Sometimes discussing things with people on the outside is hard because of the security aspect. We depend on each other.”

“Fine. I get it. No heart-to-hearts with Mom.”

“Oh, absolutely have those. Mothers thrive on soothing their wounded cubs. How are your parents, by the way?” Mercier asked.

“I didn’t contact them while I was on assignment. I’ll call when I get back to my apartment.”

“Call now,” Mercier suggested. “They’re probably worried.”

Grant dutifully took out his cell phone to make the call. He might as well get used to Mercier’s dogged interference.

His mother would sense his mood the minute he spoke to her. She would question him about it, too, but he couldn’t tell her about his losing Marie and make her worry.

Had he always protected her automatically from any problem he’d encountered? And Dad expected a stiff upper lip. Old army, that was Dad. Handle it yourself.
Be strong for everybody. Be responsible.

Maybe he had gone a little too far with that.

His mother answered on the first ring.

“Hey, Mom. How’s it going? I thought I’d let you know I’m back in one piece and everything’s cool.”

She picked up on his tone immediately as he feared she would.

“Yeah, I’m doing all right,” he insisted, but her questions were rapid-fire and to the point. For the first time he really took note of how incredibly strong she sounded, strong and capable of handling more than he had ever imagined.

Grant shot a glance at Mercier’s profile and saw his subtle smile. A dare? What the hell. “I met somebody and it didn’t work out. That’s all. Yes, Mom, she was really important to me, and I’m a wreck right now.”

She didn’t fall apart, weep all over the phone and dissolve into hysterics. Instead, she launched into all the staunch, motherly platitudes designed to salve his pride and let him know he was the center of her universe.

Yeah, he’d had it wrong all along where she was concerned. Five minutes later he closed the phone and put it away. “She’s sending me a cake. My favorite. And I expect she’ll show up by the end of the week to console me with chicken soup. I feel like a wimp.”

Mercier laughed out loud. “No, no, you’re making real progress! Showing your
sensitive
side.”

“Yeah, right. Too little, too late,” Grant muttered. It would take a lot more than cake, soup and Mom’s reassurance about all those other fish in the sea to help him get over Marie.